Do you feel safe and secure that nothing will happen to your data because it’s in the cloud? Unfortunately, it might not be as safe as you think.
It’s easy to get a false sense of security when using cloud platforms because your data is available from anywhere, you can access it from any device, and those cloud services, like Microsoft 365, have uptime guarantees, right?
While all those things might be true, that also may not protect you from cloud data loss.
Services like Microsoft also warn users that if they don’t back up their cloud data with a 3rd party service, that it could be lost. Only, the warning is buried deep in their services agreements, which most users don’t read.
If you think you’ve got it made in the shade and don’t need any cloud service management or backup, you could end up with some devastating data loss because you weren’t properly protected.How Do Businesses Lose Their Data in the Cloud?
Whether your data is residing on your computer’s hard drive or in a cloud storage service, it’s still susceptible to being lost. This makes it vital to do something that not many companies realize they need to do… backup your cloud data in a backup and recovery app.
How unprepared are companies for cloud data loss?
According to a 2020 cloud threat report by Oracle and KPMG, approximately 75% of surveyed organizations have experienced data loss from a cloud service more than once.
Here are some of the vulnerabilities that put cloud data in danger.
Accidental Deletion
Employees can accidentally delete files that are stored in a cloud account. Cloud storage services, like Google Drive or Dropbox, are designed to sync with devices but not keep permanent copies of files based upon a specific date, like a backup service does.
These services have retention periods for deleted and edited files, which can be anywhere from 30 days to 180 days on average.
So, if an employee accidentally deletes a file or folder, and it’s not found out before the file retention date is past, that data will be removed from the cloud storage service and lost.
Overwriting
Another way you can permanently lose your files from a cloud storage service is through overwriting.
A file can be overwritten by an employee or by another connected cloud software program. If there is no backup copy, the original file is lost forever.
Syncing Problems
Users that sync their phone or computer to a cloud service can experience data loss due to syncing problems or if those files are deleted from the original device.
One common example of this has happened to iPhone users who upgrade their phones and forget to sign out of their iCloud account before the old phone is reset. This can cause all the files to not only be deleted from the reset phone, but the cloud account as well.
Syncing problems can also cause file deletion when software freezes up or a computer reboots in the middle of the process.
Account Hacks
Approximately 67% of data breaches are caused by compromised login credentials. Hacked passwords are becoming one of the major attack methods as hackers look to get into data-rich cloud accounts.
Hackers that breach your account can easily delete your data and even lock you out of your own account.
Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware doesn’t only impact on-premises equipment, like computers and servers, it can also be released in cloud storage accounts.
Just like it does on other devices, it can encrypt all your cloud data, making it unusable and unrecoverable unless you pay the hacker a ransom or are able to restore your cloud data from a backup.
Account Closure
When your data is in the cloud, it’s being stored on the servers of the service provider that you’re using. If you don’t pay your monthly subscription cos, it puts your data in danger.
Maybe you’re going through a rough patch and just need a little more time and figure that you’ll just turn your account back on next month. But, depending upon the service’s data retention policies, you may turn it back on only to find all your data has been deleted from their server and isn’t recoverable.
Administrator Error When Deleting a User
Another common cause of data loss is when your cloud account administrator is deleting a user. If they delete the user’s account and don’t assign another account to have ownership of their data, then all the files that have that user assigned as the owner will be deleted.
Protect Your Cloud Data with Help from ECN IT Solutions
Don’t leave your cloud data at risk of loss. We can help you with smart cloud strategies and backup solutions that keep you covered no matter what.
We’re here and ready to talk cloud security with you! Reach out at 520-355-7553 or through our website.
ECN IT Solutions is a managed service provider (MSP) based in Tucson, Arizona that provides full-service, outsourced IT Support for companies across the Southwest. We offer network monitoring and management, cybersecurity, and a help desk with a response time of under 10 minutes. For more information, contact us online or call (520) 355-7553 and we’ll get in touch with you faster than you can believe.